The division was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914 as part of XVIII Reserve Corps and was disbanded in October 1918, with its assets being distributed to other units.
[1] The division was raised in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau, while its 83rd Reserve Infantry Regiment included troops from the Principality of Waldeck.
The 25th Reserve Division began World War I on the Western Front, fighting through Belgium and France in what became known as the Allied Great Retreat, culminating in the First Battle of the Marne.
After several months' fighting in the Argonne Forest, the division entered the Battle of Verdun in July 1916, where it suffered heavy losses.
Until 1918, Allied intelligence rated the division as second class, but downgraded it based on its use by the German high command and performance in battle.